Great Post
I got fly in a Soneri today - first bit of flying I did in years. I am a very low time pilot - did some Tiger Moth and Chippy back in the Mezozoic. I could still fly a bit. No mucking about and quite scary touching down so fast.
The chap I flew with was very good and he warned me my RV-4 will be wanting to be flown very soon and it might be a good idea not to let myself get going way green.
I have turned into an old fart who spends hours clanking about in my workshop wondering where I left the cleco pliers.
This sort of "reality check" self examination is so important.
All sorts of emotional baggage knowing good mates who got'em selves killed flying.
There was six months where I regarded a sports plane as an obscene object which killed a very dear friend. Couldn't even look at my RV-4. His brother told me my mate / flying instuctor whould never rest in peace if he thought his death would poison my love of flying. He was right of course but rational thought is only subset , a compartment of the totality of a man's outlook.
Didn't help that the Soneria came within a hair's breath of smacking into a couple of kangaroos after we were done and my mate was flying with his Dad - I fully expected them to come unglued.
What was so cool was that the Soneri pilot told me he had an irrational fear of freezing on the controls. Takes a brave man to be so honest. He said "If it did happen he didn't expect me to keep the plane intact on landing" . Just can we make it survivable? Not too much to ask methinks and I reckon I could have done it. The man was airforce trained and nothing wrong with his skill set at all. In fact his brutal asessment of his own abilities made me feel very comfortable to fly with him. Heros scare me.
Over the years I have had the oportunity to fly RVs and I was always ready to be overwhelmed by the work but before I knew it we were parked by the hanger and it never got exciting at all.
One day very soon it will be me "Giving the old girl a kick in the tail" and taking to the sky. So much has happened in my life since I first opened Pandora's / Van's box and I fully expect to be drenched with tears of joy when the wheels finally leave the ground. I will be needing good friends and sound judgement when that time comes and I know I cant go it alone.
This lack of introspection and Bravado that some pilots seem to carry smacks of a character flaw.
Just like the Old Bags at Delphi said "Know thyself"
Regards Mark
http://rv-4builder.blogspot.com/